Reimagining God

“Reimagining God is surely the key challenge for any still drawn—for whatever reason—by the stories of or about the man Jesus from Nazareth, in the world ‘after theology’, which so many now recognise as the territory we together inhabit.”—Sofia

Reimagining God

The Faith Journey of a Modern Heretic

Lloyd Geering with a foreword by Tom Hall

Description Described by the BBC as “the last living heretic,” Lloyd Geering has spent much of his life wrestling with God. Of late, however, he finds himself struggling with the absence of God. The rise of nonreligious, secular culture around the world testifies that he is not alone, that the concept of God has become problematical. Should God be abandoned altogether? Can God be reformed, so to speak?

Drawing from theology, science and his own faith journey—from his call to ministry, through his much-publicized heresy trial, to decades of public speaking, teaching and writing, Geering retraces key developments in the Western understanding of God. He imagines a new spirituality, one that blends a relationship to the natural world with a celebration of the rich inheritance of human culture.

Part Three: Adjusting to the Challenges 8. How Humans Made God 9. Science and the Judeo-Christian Tradition 10. Idolatry in the Church 11. Ethics without God 12. Christianity without Christ

Part Four: Contemplating the Future 13. Tomorrow's Spirituality 14. Spirituality for an Ecological Age

Works Cited Index

For an index, click the Resources tab above.

Sir Lloyd Geering (D.D., University of Otago, New Zealand) is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. A public figure of considerable renown in New Zealand, he is in regular demand as a lecturer and as a commentator on religion and related matters on both television and radio. He is the author of many books including From the Big Bang to God: Our Awe-Inspiring Journey of Evolution (2013), Coming Back to Earth: From Gods, to God, to Gaia (2009), and Christianity without God (2002).

In 2001, he was honored as Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In 2007, he received New Zealand’s highest honor, the Order of New Zealand.

“Reimagining God is surely the key challenge for any still drawn—for whatever reason—by the stories of or about the man Jesus from Nazareth, in the world ‘after theology’, which so many now recognise as the territory we together inhabit. ... Lloyd Geering has shown himself to be not just a survivor but a gifted commentator for almost 50 years, not only on how to survive; but also, much more importantly, how to belong and indeed thrive as a progressive believer in today’s still too often less than progressive church.”—Sofia

“Lloyd Geering not only writes brilliantly about the evolution of religious thought in the Western world, but he has also lived it. His essays thus ring with an authentic integrity. If one wants to explore Christianity’s future, there is no better guide available today than this unique human being.”—John Shelby Spong